Title
Information Technologies Department recommending the Board:
1) Make findings in accordance with Procurement Policy C-17, Section 3.4 (4), Exemptions from Competitive Bidding that Agreement US-NCPA 01-86 is exempt from competitive bidding due to a competitively bid agreement being utilized;
2) Authorize the use of Agreement US-NCPA 01-86 between Carahsoft Technology Corp. and Region 14 Education Service Center as the lead public agency for the competitively bid services;
3) Approve and authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue a Purchase Order to ePlus Technology Inc. in the amount of $158,253 for the purchase of Proofpoint Security Enterprise Threat Protection and support services for a three-year period; and
4) Approve and authorize the Director of Information Technologies or Assistant Director of Information Technologies to sign Quote 22951760 and subsequent purchase documents that do not extend the term of the services or increase the amount of the purchase order.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The Information Technologies Department is looking to contract with ePlus Technology Inc. to provide Proofpoint Security Enterprise Threat Protection and support services for increased email security, data governance, and collaboration security. Proofpoint uses threat protection solutions to prevent, detect, and notify their clients of advanced threats and helps resolve them before they cause lasting harm. The Proofpoint platform integrates with the County’s current security platforms, including Palo Alto Networks and Crowdstrike.
Proofpoint provides targeted attack protection to prevent known and unknown threats from reaching County employees. They also defend against complex malware or hacking attacks that target sensitive data within an organization. Proofpoint further protects the County in the face of increases in email usage, email-based threats, and the increased sophistication of cyberattacks.
The requested approval will authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue a Purchase Order to ePlus Technology Inc. to provide Proofpoint Security Enterprise Threat Protection and support services to the County for a three-year period in the amount of $158,253. ePlus is an authorized reseller of Proofpoint under the Carahsoft agreement.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could decide not to approve this purchase.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
23-0445 - 03/21/23 The Board previously approved a similar product using the same piggyback contract for Mimecast Security Software. However, Mimecast requested that the County sign an additional End User License Agreement (EULA) that was not approved by County Counsel. Negotiations regarding the EULA language failed and IT was required to move forward with an alternate solution for security services.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
Procurement & Contracts
County Counsel
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Appropriations are available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-23 Budget for the purchase of this solution and have been included in the FY 2023-24 Budget request. Appropriations will be included for future year budgets as needed.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Good Governance
CONTACT
Tonya Digiorno, Director of Information Technologies